Egg bound

[Jrobb78]

I know there are tons of threads on this topic, but I don’t see anything quite like our situation. I have a 4 year old RIR that is egg bound. She has not laid an egg for over a month, but I wasn’t super concerned at first because of her age, and she has had issues in the past. Lately she has been staying in the nest box a lot, but we had assumed that this was to avoid an overzealous rooster. She has been eating and drinking fine, and comes out to scratch around for awhile, but then returns to the nest box. We went out of town for a while, and when we got back I noticed she was kind of bowlegged, and her comb was droopy. We examined her last night and there is definitely an egg in there, but we can’t touch the egg directly, there seems to be some sort of tissue between the egg and vent. We soaked her in epsom salt and water last night and lubed her vent, but no luck. Today we bought some calcium and gave her 600mg along with another soak/lube, but there hasn’t been any progress. I’m not sure what to try next since we can’t directly touch the egg. Any advice is appreciated!

 

[Eggcessive]

Has she been laying recently, and were her eggs normal? Since she has been hanging out in the nest box, she could be having a problem with internal laying or lash egg material inside her abdomen. Is she pooping okay?

 

[Jrobb78]

Has she been laying recently, and were her eggs normal? Since she has been hanging out in the nest box, she could be having a problem with internal laying or lash egg material inside her abdomen. Is she pooping okay?

No, as I said I don’t think she has laid an egg in at least a month. The last several were normal, but she did lay a couple of soft shelled eggs a few months ago. She has had a poopy butt for most of her life, so I haven’t noticed a big difference there. I’m not home all day so I don’t have much time to observe her, which is why it took me so long to realize there was an actual issue. I will check her crate and see if I can see some fresh poops.

 

[Jrobb78]

This is the freshest poop. My husband said she pooped when he examined her and it looked pretty normal.

 

[Jrobb78]

Anyone have any suggestions? I really don’t want to lose this hen, she’s my favorite.

 

[Eggcessive]

It is common for some hens to suffer reproductive issues at her age. I would repeat the calcium with vitamin D daily for 3 days, to see if that helps. But she may just finisihed with her egg laying days, or laying internally. It can be hard to know without seeing a vet familiar with chickens. I have seen hens take to the nest box when they feel poorly and separate themselves. Can you make sure that she is eating and drinking? Moistened chicken feed and scrambled egg are good to offer. Chick vitamins might help give a boost.

 

[Jrobb78]

It is common for some hens to suffer reproductive issues at her age. I would repeat the calcium with vitamin D daily for 3 days, to see if that helps. But she may just finisihed with her egg laying days, or laying internally. It can be hard to know without seeing a vet familiar with chickens. I have seen hens take to the nest box when they feel poorly and separate themselves. Can you make sure that she is eating and drinking? Moistened chicken feed and scrambled egg are good to offer. Chick vitamins might help give a boost.

She is eating and drinking just fine. I just do not know how to help her get the egg out.

 

[Eggcessive]

If there is an egg in her oviduct, the calcium can help muscle contractions to expel an egg. If you have a warm humid spot (such as a bathroom with a warm shower steam) to place her that might help. Some use a warm wet towel to place them on. Are you familiar with salpingitis and lash eggs? They can have lash egg material that can be felt. They may be inside the abdomen or can come down the oviduct toward the vent. Make sure that she is drinking well by offering fluids in a small cup as she sits. A vet visit could help in finding if there is an egg stuck.

 

[Jrobb78]

If there is an egg in her oviduct, the calcium can help muscle contractions to expel an egg. If you have a warm humid spot (such as a bathroom with a warm shower steam) to place her that might help. Some use a warm wet towel to place them on. Are you familiar with salpingitis and lash eggs? They can have lash egg material that can be felt. They may be inside the abdomen or can come down the oviduct toward the vent. Make sure that she is drinking well by offering fluids in a small cup as she sits. A vet visit could help in finding if there is an egg stuck.

Thank you. It’s very humid where we are located. What can we do if it is lash material? It’s near her vent, and definitely egg-shaped as it can be felt through her abdomen but there is what feels like a layer of tissue between it and the vent. She has had 600 mg of calcium yesterday and today. She is eating and drinking well.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sometimes there may not be much you can do . Some people with an experienced avian vet can use hormone implants to stop laying for 4-6 months to prevent more lash formation. But many hens do suffer from salpingitis. We may not notice it until they die and a home necropsy is done. If she does have an egg in there she might eventually lsy it with the calcium supplement. Here is some reading about lash eggs and salpingitis:
https://www.bhwt.org.uk/hen-health/health-problems/lash-eggs-salpingitis/